Limited Edition Magnum Ice Cream Bars

My Husband and I are like little kids whenever we pass by the ice cream section of grocery stores. Our eyes get all big in wonder when we see new flavours on the shelf.

Our recent discovery are the limited edition Magnums.

Magnum BLACK, an espresso-flavoured ice cream bar. Coffee and chocolate harmony. Inside a thick layer of dark chocolate cracking chocolate is an intense ripple of black espresso coffee, swirled in smooth and creamy vanilla. The Husband and I enjoyed this bar while having our afternoon coffee and this partnership took us to coffee heaven. The coffee inside this bar is real so this bar literally has that caffeine kick you expect from coffee.

Magnum MARC DE CHAMPAGNE, also known as the new Magnum PINK. This one's for the wine lovers out there. This bar is covered in cracking chocolate and a pearlescent pink coating and tastes like sweet wine. 

These two flavours are limited edition bars but I hope they make these part of the regular flavours. 

The Chilled & No-Cook Oatmeal

I've always cooked my oatmeal. I'm used to heating it up on the stove and I have to say that doing so sometimes discourages me from having oatmeal even though I like having it for breakfast (We don't own a microwave at home so that premise is moot).

Thank goodness the universe heard me and one day, I read a tweet from one of my tweethearts Bettina (@blissfulcow) wherein she shared that it's possible to eat chilled oatmeal. Hooray! Problem solved! 

So here's what I do in creating chilled and no-cook oatmeal in jars:

You need:

2 cups of Oatmeal

180 grams Natural Yogurt

2 cups of Milk

3 tbsp Honey

Fruits (or nuts) to mix in with your oatmeal (to make it a healthier dish)

- this yields 4 jars.

I always opt for the Natural Yogurt as it's less sour. Alternatives to Honey: Maple Syrup, Sugar, Nutella, Peanut Butter. 

Mix the oatmeal, yogurt, honey and milk in a bowl.

Then place the mixture inside jars or plastic containers. Throw in your fruits on top and seal the jar/container. You can also add nuts if you like.

Put the jars inside the fridge and chill them for at least 30 minutes. That's enough time to soften the oatmeal.

Freeze and Eat
I make a big batch, enough to fill at least four jars, during weekends and store them inside the freezer. I usually bring a jar to work and eat it for breakfast or morning tea. I finish all four jars in the course of the workweek. 

I've read that frozen oatmeal can stay good until about a month. The longest time I've stored oatmeal inside the freezer was two weeks.

The Flexibility of Oatmeal
There are so many things you can add into your oatmeal other than fruits and nuts. You can also make substitutions for the milk (almond milk, soy milk etc) and flavour of your yogurt. You can also omit the yogurt from the recipe if you don't like yogurt. You can add different toppings, syrups and seeds (i.e. chia seeds).

Why I Love It
It keeps me full for longer. It's low in calories but high in fiber, removes bad cholesterol, contains antioxidants and enhances the immune system. It's easy to make and and it tastes good! 

Things I Love: Writing In Style

My love for pretty stationery goes back to childhood when I'd collect and exchange colourful, and sometimes perfumed, paper with my playmates. The art of writing by hand and using lovely paper will never grow old. And I don't think my love for well-crafted stationery will ever be lost even in this digital age. I remember conversations with the Husband when we need to write business mail and I'd sometimes ask, "Can I use stationery paper???". And the Husband will laugh, amused at my absurdity and "kikay-ness". 

I have stopped collecting stationery and I have stopped writing letters (but I still send post cards though). Emails, texts, twitter and direct messages are now the norm in my world. But oh how I feel happy whenever I see and use beautiful paper. I often visit lifestyle stores and stationery boutiques to lust over creatively-made stationery. Sometimes I come home with a small notepad to appease my longing. But rarely do I come home with a set because I don't want to start collecting and create clutter at home. 

I think the universe took note of my paperie desires as two months ago, I received a lovely birthday gift in the guise of a box set of stationery (Thank you, Rache!). 

It was perfect! It came with little note cards, big cards, writing paper and envelopes in different sizes.

And it came in a pretty box too. 

My good friend surely knows me well as the design of the stationery box set she gave is so Me! It has pinks, greens, dots and one of the drawings looked like a coffee cup.

Being gifted pretty stationery has certainly awaken my love for pretty paper. I have used a few of the cards from the box set and I really find joy in using them and writing on them. Makes me feel that the person receiving it will feel more loved by me.

Now that I have a pretty box (pictured above), I plan to fill that in with pretty stationery that I find in the future. Not meaning to collect but just having enough writing paper and cards that we can use for writing to loved ones.

Our Simple De-Cluttering System

I have written a year or two ago that I aim for simplicity. Since then I filter what comes in and out of our lives and at the same I have become more vigilant in de-cluttering not just material things but habits that never do us good.

The road to simplicity is a journey. It is a process, a paradigm shift, a lifestyle choice. One of the ways to live simply is to get rid of clutter. At home, we try to find systems on how to not accumulate things we don't need which later on becomes clutter.

Our simple system includes:

1.) Mini de-cluttering sessions every weekend. This involves getting rid of things on the interim like newspapers, food inside the fridge, mails, bills, etc. I set aside about one to two hours for this on a Sunday afternoon.

2.) Major de-cluttering sessions every quarter. This involves going inside closets, organising clothes, shoes; getting rid of things we don't need; revisiting book shelves, etc. This usually eats up a whole weekend for the Husband and I. 

3.) Taking note of expiry dates of toiletries, cosmetics and food. We put labels on things that have expiry dates and arrange them on the shelf were we can see them all the time. We follow the FIFO principle (first in, first out).

4.) We avoid collecting items. We do keep some things we like but we make sure not to overdo it. Space inside the home becomes a concern whenever I think of collecting stuff so we keep things to a minimum and manageable number. We're a bit lenient though when it comes to books because the Husband and I love to read and books are important to us (We have resorted to e-books to keep from buying too many books). 

I'm sharing our simple system to you because two weekends ago, the Husband and I had a super major de-cluttering session. It was doubly-major because other than a quarterly de-clutter session, we also had in mind that we are travelling soon and we had to make space for some things we might buy during travel.

So I started with toiletries and cosmetics on Saturday. This was a pretty easy task as I only have few cosmetics now. 

The following day, we spent 8 hours sorting out clothes into three categories: (1) for charity (2) to be "vacuumed" up and (3) to be brought out for the Autumn and Winter season. This was a big task as we had to let go of about 25 kilos of clothes. We had to vacuum up a few clothes we didn't want to part with such as shirts that have cool graphics in it. I plan to someday make an artwork or quilt out of them. 

On Monday (I took a day-off to finish everything), I took the task of de-cluttering our pantry. This took me about 2 hours.

It was an exhausting weekend but the Husband and I were proud of ourselves to be able to let of some things most dear to us. There will always be a sentimental part of us when we let go of clothes and shoes because they remind us of happy memories but we get courage from the fact that we want a clutter-free home.

The thing with de-cluttering is it's not enough that you organise your things, it's also a matter of cleaning the space and putting systems in place so that you have a home where you can easily find things. That is also one of my premise on living simply, that is having a system that is friendly and doesn't make your life complicated.

De-cluttering is an art of letting go and living simply.

Thank You, Nuffnang!

Nuffnang celebrated its 6th birthday two weeks ago and they celebrated by giving out prize packs to their followers on twitter. The mechanics were simple. Twitter followers only need to reply answers to their hourly question from 9:am-5:00pm. 12 winners were picked and I was very happy when I got an email saying that I one of the chosen ones.

Nuffnang's gift arrived last Friday which included a DVD of "The Artist", a $20 Baskin Robbins gift certificate and a $20 iTunes card.

Thank you Nuffnang! It's a pleasure to be a part of your family. Belated Happy Birthday!

Beauty Stash: Spa Line from Imperial Leather

I'm loving the Spa Line bodywash of Imperial Leather. So far, I've come across the Korean Spa, Bali Spa and Japanese Spa. Imperial Leather's bodywash comes with triple moisturisers, is rich and creamy, skin-friendly and soap free. 

The Korean Spa bodywash is a moisturising shower cream with Pomengranate and Hibiscus milk. The Bali Spa has Coconut milk and Tiare flower. The Japanese Spa is made up of Jasmine and Green Tea. All three  have refreshing fragrances that doesn't irritate the skin. The moisturising cream leaves my skin soft and smooth. 

This is not a paid post.

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Style Musings: Finding My Hair Stylists in Sydney

It took me years to find hair stylists in Sydney that can cut my hair the way I want it. My hair need is simple: soft-layered hair and a bit thinned out.

When I moved here, the instinct was to find a Filipino stylist which I did. I found one or two salons in Sydney Metro but I was never satisfied. The last Filipino salon I went to did an average job but I was just so tired of stylists making me wait, "unpolitely" chatting me up and doing experiments with my hair just because I am a Filipino. So I vowed to never again go to a Filipino salon here.

I started another quest to finding a good stylist in 2010. I tried having my hair cut by a Chinese stylist and that didn't work out. I had issues with how the stylist cut my hair. 

Then I searched online and the name of a Korean salon came up. Walked in Kim Sun Young Salon at Pitt Street, Sydney and met a pretty Korean lady that styled my hair the way I want it. Since then, she has become my official hair stylist.

When my stylist is not around, I have a secondary stylist who also cuts well and can blow dry my hair with use of her hands (yes, just her hands!) which results to me having straighter hair.

Another thing I appreciate when I go to Kim Sun Young is that they never ask you too much about getting hair treatments, hair colours or buy their products. My stylist once suggested I should have my hair coloured because I have white hair showing. But I told her I'm not yet ready to colour my hair and thoughtfully added that maybe in a year or so I'd have it coloured. She never asked me again.

A big bonus is that I feel at home at Kim Sun Young. If you've followed my blog entries, you probably know how much our life is influenced by Korean culture. When I visit the salon, I get to look at Korean magazines where I get to see photos of my favourite Korean celebrities. The staff all speak Korean (they are like me who migrated to Sydney) and I don't mind. I can understand a few words they say and it's like I'm part of a real life Kdrama. The best part is I get to talk to them about Korean stuff and they tell me about their life in Korea and in Sydney.

Finding a hair stylist or salon is like finding a gem. It should be a place where you know your hair (or nails, etc) will be safe and well-taken cared of. This is a big deal for me because I want my money's worth and leave the salon smiling because I loved the results my hair cut experience.

Miss Chu (Vietnamese Tuck Shop in Sydney)

The highlight of our Fridate last week was lunch at Miss Chu, a Vietnamese Tuck Shop located inside a building at Regent Place. We passed by the restaurant a couple of times before but can never get seats. We arrived at exactly 12 noon for lunch on Friday and lucky us! We got ourselves a decent table.

The table was actually an ironing table which has cutleries and condiments and two sets of list for ordering food and drinks. 

The Husband pointed out immediately that they serve Iced Vietnamese Coffee because he knew how fond I am of their sweet and milky coffee. 

We started off with Tiger Prawns and Green Mango Paper Rolls. It was so fresh and filling. 

The Husband had Lemongrass Beef with salad and brown rice. This was delicious as the beef was tender and had the strong taste of Lemongrass.  I loved this. 

I had the Caramelised Pork Belly Stew with Asian Greens and Brown Rice. Another beautiful dish, the flavour of the pork left a wonderful taste on my mouth. It had a bit of chili but it was only mildly spicy. 

My rice dish came with an egg that seemed poached and fried at the same time. It's perfect!

This was a wonderful dining experience. I loved our food and enjoyed every bite of it. I'm very glad we found a Vietnamese restaurant in the city that serves great food. 

Miss Chu
501 George Street, Sydney
Phone: 02 9283 0357

The Husband Gifts Me With Photographs

The best thing about being a wife to an artist is that I get to be his muse. I giggle with glee whenever he gifts me with his art. Whether it may be art designs or photographs, whether I'm in it or not, I appreciate receiving them. I'm proud of his talent and I'm his number one fan.

We had a very busy long weekend which started with visit to the Korean Consulate. And while our thoughts were preoccupied with a million things to do, we made it a point to have fun too.

We recently got an olloclip for the Husband's iPhone 5. Since we'll be travelling soon and saw the potential of the iPhone 5's camera in capturing good, clear photos, we decided to invest on an olloclip. The olloclip is a 3-in-1 lens which includes a fisheye, wide angle and macro lens. We were amazed with the capability of an olloclip as it enhances capturing photographs via an iPhone. We love it!

Last Friday, the Husband gifted me with his photographs, some of which he captured using an olloclip. Here are some of them.

The Train's Here. He used the fisheye lens for this and then processed it into monochome via the Snapseed app.

In Transit. Again in monochrome...because the Husband knows I love monochrome photographs.

All Ours. Caught a different train when we arrived at Central and what a nice blessing to have the carriage just to ourselves. This one's just a normal phone photo. No olloclip involved. 

 Levitation. Jump when no one's watching. I think this was my best photo that day. And the of the most fun photos we've created. To levitate inside a train carriage - check! :)

Train leaving. Still in fisheye lens. This is one of Sydney's old underground stations. There's a something dreamy and spooky about this photograph.

Husband's Got My Back. Me walking out the tunnel in St James Train Station. So lucky that for one moment, we got this tunnel all to ourselves. The Husband told me to walk ahead of him and took of snap of me.

In Between Buildings. This was Pitt Street in wide angle lens. 

The Husband made a monochrome version and posted it on his instagram.

Those were just a few photographs that made me very happy on Friday. Grateful for a Husband who thinks of me while he creates his art.

Style Musings: Jackie Ohh by Ray-Ban

These 1950's inspired Jackie Ohh sunglasses created by Ray-Ban are a true retro style classic. It was made in reference to style icon Jackie Onassis, a clear indication of the inspiration behind the design.

While I've always liked Ray-Ban's aviator and wayfarer sunglasses, I chose the Jackie Ohh to be my first Ray-Ban. In choosing sunglasses, I like bug-eye style sunnies because it gives the area surrounding my eyes more protection, which is always my main concern. It also gives me a wider range of vision as smaller lenses or frames tend to block my peripherals. 

The Jackie Ohh is perfect in giving my need for wider frames and at the same time, it gives a different look to the bug-eye as its tips are somewhat catlike. I already have square-framed sunnies which I bought at Dior two years ago so the Jackie Ohh satisfies my need for rounded frames.

Another first time for me was ordering these sunglasses online via ClearlyContacts.com.au which I thought was very brave of me to do. What I did to make sure that the glasses would fit me is get the measurement of the sunglasses and compare it against my sunglasses at home. It also helped that ClearlyContacts.com.au has a 366 day return policy and they would even pay for return shipping. The nice about ClearlyContacts too was that they sent me a little screwdriver (which can be use for other things too, not just for sunglasses) and glasses cleaner.

This is not a sponsored post.

Forte Room (Liverpool, NSW)

I attended a training program related to work last week and it gave me a chance to have coffee and breakfast at a cafe near the training venue.

Forte Room has a modern but cozy ambience with warm lighting that will relax you while you enjoy your meal. 

The walls are adorned with quotes about food, a good backdrop for photo ops.

They have a breakfast offering of coffee and a sandwich of your choice for only AUD$7.00. I had a cup of long black (they charged me an additional 50c) and a huge Bacon and Egg Sandwich. The meal was good and comforting as it was freshly-cooked after I ordered. Their coffee was strong and leaves a bitter aftertaste, more than enough to wake up my senses in the morning.

I noticed a shelf full with magazines and board games. A sign that they like patrons to linger and have fun while in their cafe.

 Other than cafe food, they offer lunch, dinner and catering. The place can also be rented for private events. 

Forte Room
3/107 Moore Street
Liverpool NSW 
Phone: (02) 8798 6460

My Sweet Memory's Bingsu

Other than Salted Caramel yogurt, my other refreshing discovery last Summer was Bingsu.

Bingsu is a pretty dessert or snack from Korea eaten during Summer. It is usually made up of ice shavings, milk, fruits, red beans, cereal flakes and ice cream. This is similar to the Philippines' Halo-Halo. I discovered this during one of my trips to My Sweet Memory Cafe. 

On the light of discovering something new, My Sweet Memory now has a new branch in Chinatown (708 George Street, Sydney). The Husband and I visited the place last month and found it quite different from other stores. Their interiors seem more vintage and the ambiance more like a bar.

The only thing we don't like in this new MSM are the chairs. They're aesthetically cute but quite uncomfortable to sit on.  But the coffee is good and they're adding more food on the menu. My favourite branch is still the one in Strathfield and Townhall but I wouldn't mind getting a cuppa here in case I'm in Chinatown.

When in Manila...Eat! (New Food Discoveries in 2011)

The gastronomical experience below happened during our 2011 vacation in the Philippines.

It's the 4th day of March and it's now Autumn here in the land down under. The season started off with lots of rain and the temps have gone down a few notches that we are now grabbing our light jackets on our way out the door. 

Today also signals the start of our month-long countdown to going home---Manila. Yes! The Husband and I will spend a few days in the Philippines to have our much-needed leave from work. I'm excited and a bit agitated about travelling again. Excited because I can't wait to not work, travel again, see airports, spend time with the Husband, our families and friends, rest and eat! I'm a bit agitated because at this state, well, we still have a few things to finish before we go on holiday--there's work, getting stuff organized and packing suitcases which we hope won't go over the weight limit. But all in all, we are happy that things are slowly falling into place and things will be settled in time for our vaycay.

There's always that expectation when we travel that we'd find new dishes to enjoy and love. The Philippines is fast becoming a food haven with so many new restaurants sprouting one after another. During our 2011 vacation, Manila did not disappoint in satisfying our tummies as we discovered a few good dishes from new restaurants (new to us at least).